Angela Colee (00:02):

Welcome to Permission to Kick Ass, a podcast about leaving self-doubt in the dust, punching fear in the face and taking bold action toward your biggest dreams. I'm Angie Colee and let's get to it.

(00:16):

Hey. Welcome back to Permission to Kick Ass. With me today is my new friend, Sarry Ibrahim. Say hi.

Sarry Ibrahim (00:25):

Hey, Angie. Thank you so much for having me on. I appreciate it.

Angela Colee (00:28):

I'm so excited. Yeah, we missed connections last time, through a scheduling snafu. And then today when we got on, I love the energy. I'm so excited. I don't get to talk to a lot of financial people on this show, so far. So, I'm interested to hear your perspective.

(00:40):

So yeah, I jumped the shark there a little bit, but you're in the financial industry. So tell us a little bit more about your business.

Sarry Ibrahim (00:48):

Yeah, thank you for that. I run a company called Financial Asset Protection. It's a full-service financial services firm, located in the Chicagoland area. That's where I'm from. That's where I growed up.

(01:00):

The business helps people in all 50 states. It was kind of structured that way even before Covid. I had already been working from home, already on Zoom and things like that. So, when Covid happened, it was like it wasn't that big of a difference.

(01:11):

But yeah, so we work with a lot of individuals and small business owners, real estate investors. We help them plan, any stage you're at, whether it's just starting a savings plan or it's, I need to transition from a hundred real estate properties into retirement now. So it's like we have the services for any type of client.

(01:30):

I've been doing this in this field for about seven years now. I love it. I don't see myself doing anything else. So, I think I'm in this, doing exactly what I thought I was going to be doing. I also have a podcast, called Thinking Like a Bank.

Angela Colee (01:45):

Oh, nice.

Sarry Ibrahim (01:45):

Yeah. It makes things more fun, the podcast, bringing on guests and talking to people. We're launching episode 73 of the podcast tomorrow.

Angela Colee (01:52):

Nice.

Sarry Ibrahim (01:52):

So that's who I am and what I've been up to.

Angela Colee (01:55):

That's excellent. Well, that as we're recording, so we're going to air probably a couple months after we record. We're recording this in September, as I'm sitting here in sunny and hot Knoxville, Tennessee. So, waving north toward you, in Chicagoland.

(02:10):

Plan on visiting that on my digital nomad journey, at some point. So, we'll have to hook up. If you are a foodie, like I am, that will be a beautiful connection. I promise. I always find the best food.

(02:20):

So, that sounds really cool. How did you get into that line of business? Was it just something that you always knew you wanted to do?

Sarry Ibrahim (02:26):

Oh, it started when I was a senior in high school. I had to take a class called Consumer Economics. It was a very basic business class. How to write a check. What is a checking account? What is a mortgage? What is interest?

(02:38):

I enjoyed that class a lot because I think it's really important to know that stuff. A lot of people end up learning about credit cards and even the bad sides of credit cards, when it's too late, when they're already in debt. That's when people actually open up their statements and oh, I have to pay this much interest on top of the debt already and it rolls over to the next month?

(02:57):

So, I liked that class a lot. It was one of the only classes I actually got hooked onto in high school. I'm not really that big on education, just to be transparent.

(03:07):

So, I wanted to make a career out of that. I got my MBA. The MBA only led to about 10% of finding my passion. The other 90% just came from working with people.

(03:19):

My first professional job was working at Allstate. I was in sales and marketing. So, I spent eight hours a day on the phone with people, talking about auto insurance, homeowners insurance, business insurance, all types of insurance.

(03:31):

From the sound of it, it doesn't sound that sexy, sales and insurance, but I learned a lot about-

Angela Colee (03:36):

But it's necessary.

Sarry Ibrahim (03:38):

Necessary and it's the closest you can get to with people, I feel like. You're literally talking to people about money, about their money and about things they own and about protecting those things.

(03:48):

So, I started to build really good connections with people. I started to bond really, form relationships with clients. I was like, this is what I want to do. I want to build relationships with clients, over the phone and help them solve problems.

(04:02):

Then that led to financial coaching and financial strategy. Then that led to the company. So kind of piece by piece, put it all together, that's what led me into being a financial coach and helping people solve these problems. I like to listen to people and identify problems.

(04:19):

Yeah. I'm also doing the certified financial planner program right now. It's seven courses. I'm about halfway through that program. And then that's going to hopefully open up even more doors, where I can help people with all types of financial strategies in that situation.

Angela Colee (04:31):

I love that. I'm trying not to chuckle because you're like, I'm not really into education. Then, here's my MBA, here's this course that I'm taking.

Sarry Ibrahim (04:38):

Yeah.

Angela Colee (04:39):

I think your actions say that you do like education, but maybe not the formal education system that the United States has become, where everybody is a test score. I don't like it. That's a rant for another day.

(04:52):

There was something that I wrote down, that I thought was really interesting, because you got an MBA. A lot of folks don't know that I have a master's degree as well. It's not technically an MBA, but it's a weird hybrid creative business degree. Basically, I specialize in turning intellectual property into revenue.

Sarry Ibrahim (05:05):

Oh, wow.

Angela Colee (05:05):

Really cool. But for a while I was like, that's not even related to what I'm doing, which is over here in marketing and stuff like that. But only recently, I was like, "Oh no. No, this totally makes sense."

(05:16):

It was two classes in particular that really kind of sealed the deal for me. One was entrepreneurship, which at the time, was my most hated class because I couldn't figure out how to get a fricking A in that.

(05:27):

I was like, oh, that's strangely parallel to real life and entrepreneurship. You can't figure out how to get an A. If you follow all the steps, you could still fail. It's fine.

(05:36):

So it turned out that, that was like, I hated it at the time, but it taught me the most about how life and business actually work.

(05:42):

Then another was screenwriting, because in screenwriting is where I had the conversation where someone recommended a book, where I read the book and decided, oh, I want to try this copywriting thing, that led me down a whole different path.

(05:56):

So, I find it funny that I went to school for that thing and kind of similar to you, I got that 10% that really mattered to me. That's the stuff that has impacted me over time.

(06:06):

I'm really curious how you went from selling insurance to working on this advising people and growing this business of yours.

Sarry Ibrahim (06:14):

Mm-hmm. Yeah, definitely. It went from simply just regular insurance, auto, home, your average insurance, and then that led to Medicare.

(06:24):

I was a Medicare consultant. Most of my clients were retirees from the city of Chicago. So, they had worked for the city of Chicago, retired. Now they needed to transition into their own Medicare plans that they own, not the city anymore. So, that was my job for a while, just making that transition with them.

(06:42):

Then during that time, clients would ask me about life insurance. They would ask me about estate planning. They'd ask me about trust and wills.

(06:49):

As they would ask the questions, I would go and research it, 'cause I didn't know the answer to it. I didn't know that question even existed yet.

(06:57):

Upon one of those questions, I was asked about cash value life insurance or something along those lines. So I said, "Let me do some research and I'll get back to you."

(07:06):

I went to Amazon and I searched. I typed in cash value life insurance. I came across a book called The Bank On Yourself Revolution, by Pamela Yellen. This book talks about, what are these strategies?

(07:17):

So to answer your question, the way I got into exactly what I'm doing today, is just by following questions and finding books and resources that and connecting the dots.

(07:25):

Now fast forward to today, I do all types of insurance and all types of financial services. That resulted just from reading books.

(07:36):

I don't want to say random, but it was focusing more on the process than the result, 'cause I didn't know what the result was going to be. I had no idea what was going to happen. But more so of focusing in the moment, in the process, that led to more opportunities, more clients and more things like that.

Angela Colee (07:51):

I love that because I think the twisted thing about expertise and what stops more people from starting a business, 'cause they feel like in that moment that you had, where the client asks me a question, I didn't even know I needed to ask, let alone have an answer to, that's where they think that it all falls apart. That this person's going to see that I am a fraud. I don't know what I'm talking about.

(08:12):

The opposite is actually true. They trust you more. They see you as even more of an expertise and someone that they should listen to, when you're just upfront about, oh wow, that's a great question. I didn't even think to ask that one. Let me do some research and get back to you.

(08:25):

So I've just taken that thing that I feared the most, not knowing the answer, in the moment that somebody asked me, and I've turned it around into a strength of mine and then made it so that I'm an industrious person, that can be trusted. I'm going to go find that answer for you, and I'll get back to you.

(08:43):

Then the cool thing, that it comes full circle and it adds to your knowledge base, which helps you answer more questions, from different customers in the future, which further positions you as the expert.

(08:54):

So, don't attach to this idea that you have to know everything upfront. You can literally follow the questions. Just ask Siri. Look. Mm-hmm.

Sarry Ibrahim (09:03):

Exactly. Yeah. People want to work with you. It's not really about the product you have or the company that's behind you or the brand. It's you, Angie. That's who somebody wants to work with.

Angela Colee (09:15):

Exactly.

Sarry Ibrahim (09:16):

That's really important. So just because you don't know the answer to one thing, doesn't mean you're gone. That's it. They're going to go to the next person.

(09:23):

They're dealing with you. They're asking you questions because they trust you and they want to keep working with you.

Angela Colee (09:27):

Exactly. That's so funny how it shuts down some part of our brain, that fear of judgment. Maybe it's because there are so many MLMs out there, that we're squeamish to talk to the people that already know and like us and are in our world.

(09:40):

But I remember the first time that I wanted to sell a really big product. I was nervous. I met with my now business partner, who is a sales genius. I basically turned this woman loose.

(09:52):

We created some products. I made an invite list of just, I think 80 people. Of the 80 people, I just went through all my contacts and said, I love these people. I think we could do some good work together. They've told me that they were just waiting for me to create something. Or I just met them, and I think they're really cool. So, those are my 80 people.

(10:11):

I think I wound up introducing her to something like 40 of them. I think that only 20% of those 40 people actually responded. Of those, we generated about $60,000 in business, in just a matter of weeks.

(10:24):

I'm not saying any of that to brag. Making that list and introducing these friends and these colleagues and these people that I adore and I love spending time with, to somebody that I knew was going to get them on a sales call, was innately terrifying to me.

(10:40):

Then, as people started going, "Yes, I've just been waiting for this," they're sending me messages going, "I just talked to her. I can't wait to get started on this."

(10:48):

I was like, oh crap. Look, all this time I have been the one standing in my own way. These people were just waiting for me to create something because they love working with me. That was my light bulb moment, where it was like, could've been doing this five years earlier.

Sarry Ibrahim (11:05):

Exactly.

Angela Colee (11:05):

Well, I mean I love that this was such a natural progression. I know we started talking before we started recording, about how it wasn't quite always smooth sailing. You used the phrase that, there were times that I just wanted to quit and return to a W-2 job. So, you want to tell me more about that?

Sarry Ibrahim (11:23):

Yeah, absolutely. Think about it. You're self-employed. There's no benefits, no recurring biweekly check coming in. There's also sometimes no clients, but yet the rent is still there, the gas is still there, the insurance is...

(11:38):

Those bills don't stop just because the income stops. So now you have to think, how do you keep doing this? How do you keep paying bills from nothing? Do you borrow money?

(11:49):

You can't really raise capital. You're still a new entrepreneur. Who's going to invest in you?

Angela Colee (11:55):

Yeah.

Sarry Ibrahim (11:56):

I had to get really creative. There were times where I would have to keep my job, 'cause I had already started building some clients. I had already invested a lot of time into building up that client base. I didn't want to just drop everything and go get a job. But I still did get a job a few times, on the side, a W-2 consulting, job just to keep my business and keep it flowing.

(12:18):

I always disclosed it with both parties. I always disclosed it with the job, just because I didn't want to come off as shady, like I have this other business on the side, 'cause that's what I was doing.

(12:29):

I had a W-2 job and my business. About three times, I did that. Upon the third time, it was right around, I want to say 2019, that's when I fully went in, independent. Just been 100% just me right now, with this business.

(12:45):

I have a few employees, thankfully, that are doing an awesome job with a lot of... they actually connected us for this podcast. So, they do a lot of my podcasting stuff, my PR stuff, email marketing, some of my social media stuff. It's a really great help.

(12:59):

Yeah. We're growing, and hopefully we'll want to keep growing. I don't know exactly what's going to happen in the next few years. But to answer to your point, I still even till today, even with the business being profitable right now, there's that whisper in the back of my ear that comes in and says, "Hey, what if you just dropped all of this and just got a W-2 job? Then you don't have to worry about anything. You don't have to come up with creative ideas. You'll be told what to do. You'll have a set schedule."

(13:27):

The way I dispute that or turn that down is, why did I even start a business in the first place? Why take all this experience I put in the past, all this money I've spent, all this money I've borrowed, all this interest I've paid on all those loans, just to get this business up and going, just to drop it and go get a job?

(13:43):

So you have to, I guess, keep reassuring yourself, keep selling yourself and keep explaining your why, as to why you want to stay self-employed. Not just become self-employed, but stay self-employed.

(13:53):

Of course, I think one way to counteract any negative thoughts or to help counteract any negative thoughts, is to expand your goals.

Angela Colee (14:01):

Right?

Sarry Ibrahim (14:02):

Yes.

Angela Colee (14:02):

To take your goals to the next level because it makes it more worth it. It adds more value to yourself and to your business and to your overall mission, when you add more goals to it, when you multiply those goals.

Sarry Ibrahim (14:13):

Yeah. I love that. You said so many good things that I want to circle back to. I'm no stranger to having that thought too. Man, some days it would just be nice to go back to a job, clock in, clock out, leave that shit at the desk, not constantly...

(14:29):

I mean, we know this. Entrepreneurs, you're listening to me. You think about it all the time. In the shower, on a walk, doesn't matter, business is on the mind.

Angela Colee (14:37):

Yeah.

Sarry Ibrahim (14:37):

But what you said was spot on. Those times when it gets overwhelming or there's too much to do, or maybe the money hasn't caught up with the projects that you're working on or any number of things that are challenging on a daily basis, reminding yourself why you did this in the first place, resetting yourself on the vision and the people that you help, I think really gets you out of your own head.

(14:59):

I talk a lot on the show, about how intense ideas get when they bounce around in between your ears. They amplify and they get out of control. Before long, they don't even make any sense. But they make perfect sense to you because it's in your head. Right?

Angela Colee (15:12):

Yes.

Sarry Ibrahim (15:13):

I don't know if you've ever experienced this. I've had this in fits of anxiety. The moment I speak it out loud to someone else, I instantly hear that it makes absolutely no sense.

(15:24):

I've been spiraling about this thought, for weeks now. Where if I just got it out of my head and I didn't let it intensify, it would be even better.

(15:32):

So, reminding yourself of the vision, getting out of your own head, making sure that you're not the center of the universe anymore. That's when our problems get magnified. Isn't it?

(15:41):

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I think the same thing happens with me. I come up with ideas. It's almost like I trip myself with these ideas because they start intertwining.

(15:50):

Then, you're right. When I say it out loud, I'm like, why did I even think about that? Why? Where did that even come from?

(15:56):

I get that, because especially when you're an entrepreneur, you're constantly thinking of different ways. Whether you're jogging, whether you're driving, you're always working. You're playing chess in your mind. I get that.

Angela Colee (16:06):

Yes.

Sarry Ibrahim (16:08):

This is where a mentor comes in or a coach comes in. They get to listen to these crazy ideas you have and can ask questions. Then eventually, what's happened with me at least, is that over time, I start playing the role of my mentor with my own self, where I'm like, you know what? Maybe that project doesn't need to exist anymore or that idea doesn't need to exist anymore, because after saying it out loud and thinking about it out in the world, there probably is no market for it. I don't think it's going to be successful. So then you shift gears now, into something else though.

Angela Colee (16:38):

Over time, you learn to become your own coach. You either keep working with them or you don't. But you get a sense of, what questions would somebody else ask me? What questions would I ask somebody else if I had to coach them through this situation? I love that exercise and I hate it.

(16:55):

I'm running into a situation that makes me nervous. I'm about to launch something new, and I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. Still happens at every level of the business, guys. You're going to encounter a limit to your comfort zone and have to step out of it. It's ongoing.

(17:08):

He'll go, "Okay. Well, how would you coach somebody else through this same situation?" I'm like, "Oh, you bastard."

(17:15):

That's a great question because I immediately have answers for somebody else, as long as it's not me.

Sarry Ibrahim (17:20):

Yeah.

Angela Colee (17:21):

I'm going to do an abrupt segue here because something else that I wrote down in underlines, that you talked about was integrity. I love how you went to both the clients and the business and said, "This is what I'm doing. I just want there to be visibility here," 'cause that's a struggle that I run into with my coaching students all the time.

(17:39):

Well, what do I do if I've got a job? Well, here's what you do. You keep it above board. If you're worried that the job's going to let you go and doesn't support the vision, well, that's even more of a reason to double down on, why am I doing this? Because I don't want somebody to be able to control what I can and can't do with my own time.

Sarry Ibrahim (17:55):

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I've even recommended that some people even transition from one job into another job, that's more of an entrepreneurial job, like an outside sales job, where you can set your own hours. You can meet with people on your own time.

(18:08):

Those jobs, I think are pretty compatible with entrepreneurship, because you're kind of independent now. It's very difficult to start a business when you're in one place, at one cubicle, working nine to five. You can't even talk on the phone in those situations.

(18:19):

So, I have recommended with some clients, that they transition within employment, but more suitable for entrepreneurship.

Angela Colee (18:26):

Mm-hmm. I remember when I was agonizing about starting my freelance business. Somebody a few steps ahead of me on the path, was gracious enough to get on the call.

(18:35):

He told me straight up, "Well, I'm not surprised that you haven't made the leap yet. I'm not surprised that you're scared and you're kind of stuck in the company drama of everything that's happening.

(18:45):

You're driving an hour into the office. You're spending nine to 10 hours working on copywriting, on marketing stuff. You're driving an hour home, and then you're working for three or four more hours on marketing and copy stuff. How are you giving your best to either your client or your job? You're not."

Sarry Ibrahim (19:02):

Yeah.

Angela Colee (19:04):

I was like, "I kind of hate you. You spoke the truth and it hurts and I don't like it." He goes, "If you're serious about starting this copywriting business, about going freelance, I would recommend you do anything but copywriting for your job. Go be a cashier. Go be an in-home health aid. In fact, physical is even better, since copywriting is such a mental job. Go be on your feet for a few hours, talking to people and then come home and write. It's like, but anything other than, I use my brain for 14 to 18 hours a day. You're just not giving your best to anybody. You're not going to grow," and I was like...

Sarry Ibrahim (19:41):

That's so true. I agree with that, not only from the standpoint of mental capacity, because that's a big thing that you have to preserve. You only have so much limited mental energy throughout the day. Copywriting is 100% mental. That's all it is.

(19:55):

That and also with the point too, of not conflicting with your job. You're not taking their clients. It's completely different. What your side business is, is completely different from your actual employment.

Angela Colee (20:07):

Exactly. Yeah. I mean it's interesting because... well, I'm going to go down an integrity side road here, but I think it's easier to be in integrity than it might seem.

(20:19):

It is a series of making just small, deliberate steps over time, is what builds your reputation as a person of integrity.

(20:28):

I don't even know if I've told this story on the podcast before, but there was once where I was working with two different marketing teams. I'm contracting with both teams.

(20:36):

So I would be on team meetings, where we're talking about strategies. Every once in a while, we're promoting the same product at the same time. I would recuse myself from the meeting when it came to discussing that strategy.

(20:47):

It was funny because one of my clients had an email list of 300,000. The one that I recused myself from had a list of 10,000, that were competing on different playing fields but were competing.

(20:59):

That was the important point to me. So, I'd recused myself from the meeting. The smaller client goes, "You know that you're going to trounce us. What could you possibly gain from being at this meeting, that you couldn't gain from being at the other one?"

(21:10):

I said, "Well, I don't even want there to be a hint of, I'm bringing their strategy to you or I'm bringing your strategy to them. I would rather just do a clean line here in the sand, where I step over and go, 'For this promotion, I work for them. Good luck with your take on that promo. I'm sure it's going to do excellent and we'll see each other on the other side and it will do well.'"

(21:31):

The smaller client always thanked me for that integrity. He was like, "Whenever anything came up where there was a question, I knew that I never had to doubt you because you would be the one to say, 'Here's where the problem is and here's what I'm going to do about it.'" I don't know why I went down that tangent, but there's a fun one.

Sarry Ibrahim (21:53):

That's so smart, because even though you weren't going to share one thing to the next team, still, you don't want them to even think about that. Which is really important, because in the business world, in the marketing world, you have to control that.

(22:06):

You can't leave any hints that you don't have any integrity. So, you eliminate it. You take that off the table. That doesn't even exist anymore.

Angela Colee (22:12):

Oh, yeah. I call it my, addressing the elephant in the room strategy. I know that that's a cliche, but I was like, most folks will pretend that there's not an elephant in here.

(22:21):

I'm going to say, "Oh yeah, that's kind of weird. There's an elephant back there. I mean, we're going to take care of that later and here's what the plan is for that. But for right now, let's just acknowledge that the elephant exists, and then we're going to continue our thing here."

(22:34):

That actually reassures people, where you're like, there's something bizarre back there. There's a plan for that. You don't need to worry about that. But that makes them feel much more comfortable with you than pretending it doesn't exist.

Sarry Ibrahim (22:45):

Yep, exactly.

Angela Colee (22:46):

In this case, to break it down and make it even more clear, the conflict of interest is the elephant. They're already wondering about it. Yes. So, if I pretend that a conflict of interest or a potential conflict doesn't exist, they're wondering, wait, do you not see that? Are you crazy? What's going on here? I'm saying, "No, I see it. Here's how I'm going to make sure that that's not an issue." We go back to being an expert.

(23:14):

There's two ways right there where you can be an expert. I don't know the answer to that, but I'll find out and I'll circle back. And oh yeah, there's a big old elephant back there, but you don't have to worry about that and here's why. Mind your step on the way out. No, don't step in elephant poo.

Sarry Ibrahim (23:32):

I work with a lot of investors, real estate investors who raise capital from outside parties. One thing I notice is, they're constantly telling people about details and facts, before the investors even find out about them.

(23:45):

Even though they might not be detrimental facts, but still, you want to address them before somebody else even asks about them. Because if they ask about it before you even notice or identify it, then it appears that there's no integrity. It appears that something could be kind of shady, even though nothing happened shady. It's about how people feel about it.

(24:04):

So, if you address it before they even ask about, it gives them more confidence. It makes them relax a little bit more.

Angela Colee (24:09):

Oh, yeah. I feel like easily half or more of entrepreneurship is just knowing how to have hard conversations and connect with people and reassure them. Because if you can make them feel comfortable in your presence, if you can help them alleviate that fear and anxiety that they have about moving, you just reassure them that you've got this and working together will be great and you don't need to worry, we're going to figure it out together, then they can relax into that. You become their favorite vendor for whatever you're doing.

(24:39):

That is how people start recommending you forever and ever, to all of their friends and all of their friends' friends.

(24:47):

I know that the very first VA that I worked with, when I started my business, we worked together for three years, but I adored her.

(24:54):

She came back to me, I want to say just last year. We haven't worked together in a while now. She goes, "You're still our biggest source of revenue." I was like, "Wait, what?"

(25:04):

Just because every time somebody says, "I need a VA, I need a systems expert, I need an operations person," I refer them to her. I say, "Hey, you should talk to Ashley. She can't help you, she probably knows somebody who can." I was like, "Oh. Oh, that's great. I love that."

(25:19):

All of that is about integrity, about caring about people. Woo hoo.We're just going to go all over the place on this one.

(25:29):

Let's circle back to the whole, I wanted to quit and I wanted to go back to a W-2 job. You refocused on the vision, but you mentioned that that mentor had a great talk with you about timing. Do you want to dig into that a little bit more?

Sarry Ibrahim (25:45):

Yeah. Just to be clear, I got my mentor after the third time of going fully. So during that, I guess what really allowed me to go fully into entrepreneurship, was the fact that I had already built up a client base. The residuals and the renewal income from that was able to provide. I was able to make a living from that.

(26:14):

How would I phrase this? This is actually something that I was really concerned about back then. It's a tough thing because you can't just drop the business because it's not working out. You have to keep it. But at the same time, you can't go get a job that's going to conflict with it.

(26:31):

So, it got to the point where, once the renewals and the residual income were able to provide, exceed the expenses, then that's when it allowed me to go fully into entrepreneurship.

(26:44):

Then on top of that, every week, my mentor and I'd meet. We'd go through the business, go through marketing, go through all aspects of the business and all types of struggles that I'm having.

(26:54):

Because of that, because I have somebody to talk to every week, that's pretty much 90% maybe or 80%, has been the reason why I'm still in business, is because of having somebody to talk to.

(27:07):

Oh, I'm a big fan of mentorship and coaching, because it gives you a place to channel your ideas and to talk to somebody about it.

(27:14):

Another thing too is, my mentor is way ahead of me, in the same business, but way ahead of me. I recommend that if you want to work with somebody, work with somebody who is far more advanced than you are, in your profession, both in competency, income, assets, way ahead of you. Because you're going to learn from that person and then you're going to gather a lot more skills then you would...

(27:38):

It's the same thing in sports. If you're training for the next fight or next event or something like that, you want to train with people who are way ahead of you, who are way more advanced than you, not somebody who's on the same level as you. That's something I've noticed, working with a mentor.

Angela Colee (27:51):

Mm-hmm. I've learned that too. It's interesting because I resisted. You mentioned that you got your mentor on the third go round. I got my mentor on the second go round. So, I totally get that.

(28:05):

In retrospect, I feel on a deep level, empathy for young me, who was like, coaching is a scam. I don't need to pay for mentorship.

(28:13):

I'm not necessarily saying you need to pay, because there are some people that mentor just out of the goodness of their heart. Some people charge for it. Both of those models are perfectly fair.

(28:22):

But the key is exactly like you said, going for someone that has the experience, who is or has been where you want to go with your career and can guide you there and help you avoid the pitfalls.

(28:36):

Man, young Angie, I am sending you some hugs because time is a construct. People are here to help you. You can go much further, faster with some help, than you ever can just beating this, I am an island and I will do it by myself drum. You don't get a trophy at the end for doing it all by yourself. You don't.

Sarry Ibrahim (28:56):

Yeah. I mean, as you're talking right now, I'm just staring at the book, Who Not How, by Dan Sullivan and it's just like-

Angela Colee (29:02):

Ooh.

Sarry Ibrahim (29:02):

Yeah. I mean, I'm still halfway through the book, but I already get the book. I already understand it. Instead of thinking about how to do something, think about who can help you get there, from the standpoint of a mentor, from the standpoint of an employee, a VA, whatever you're at.

(29:20):

That's the number one quality. That's the number one trait in a business, is who you're working with.

Angela Colee (29:24):

Mm-hmm. It can be who not how. I mean, I know that folks that are in an early stage, you might be like, oh, that's a lot in hiring contractors or things like that. A who could be this automated software, who can help me set that up.

Sarry Ibrahim (29:41):

Yes. Yeah.

Angela Colee (29:42):

It could be bartering with somebody that you know and going, "Who do I know that knows a lot about finance, that can point me towards some resources or might be willing to work with me, so that I can pay them for what I need for now?"

(29:54):

So who not how isn't necessarily, you need to go out and hire an entire team before you're ready or you've developed that revenue. It's thinking to your network and your connections.

(30:03):

It's funny because I read that book earlier this year, but now I have almost an instinct in the back of my mind, that every time I run into something that I haven't done before or I'm uncomfortable with or I just don't do...

(30:14):

I don't set up Facebook ads for people, but I know three or four people that do, who I'm immediately going, "Okay. Who can I send this person to, that needs Facebook Ads help?" That's also a who not how.

Sarry Ibrahim (30:26):

Yeah, exactly. It doesn't always have to pertain just to your business. It could be something a little bit outside of your business. You have some sort of conflict or issue. Oh, who can help me get out of this? Who could help me solve this or something like that.

Angela Colee (30:36):

I love that. This is so great. I'm going to throw you another curve ball, but I know I asked you this in the intake form. So if you could go back in time and give younger you some advice, what would that be?

Sarry Ibrahim (30:50):

Yeah, just don't worry. Just keep taking risks, keep going. Keep opening doors. You're not going to be punished for trying to aim big.

(30:58):

That's something that young me and a lot of young people think, that if you try going big at a young age, that there could be this negative effect from that. I don't really think so.

(31:09):

I think it's always going to be positive. Either it works or if it doesn't work, then the results you got from that are going to be tangible skills that you can carry forward, into the next step that you do.

(31:20):

In other words, fail early, fail big, fail soon. So that way, you can then take those skills you've gathered and then recycle them into the next project you have.

Angela Colee (31:29):

I love that so much, on multiple levels. Because if you aim for something big, that you may not even think is possible, you're probably going to get a hell of a lot further than aiming for something small.

Sarry Ibrahim (31:40):

Yeah. Yes.

Angela Colee (31:41):

I know when I'm working with my coaching students for the first time and we're talking about what to price your services at and how to stabilize your revenue, we talk about need to make versus want to make.

Sarry Ibrahim (31:52):

Yeah. Yes. Mm-hmm.

Angela Colee (31:53):

Most of them haven't even done the calculation to figure out, this is the money that it takes to support the lifestyle I want.

(32:00):

They start setting their prices at, well, if I had to live on my friend's couch and survive on ramen noodles for six months, what would I have to charge?

(32:09):

I'm like, "No, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. We start charging from, I'd like to go out with my friends."

(32:14):

I'm a theme park nerd and I'm in Knoxville, so of course I'm going to go down to Dollywood. I want money for Dollywood. We're going to have a good time there, going to buy some cinnamon bread, because that's what you're supposed to do at Dollywood.

(32:24):

You have to set your prices based on the lifestyle that you want to live, not the bare bones thing. So, aim beyond what you think you're capable of. You might surprise yourself where you land.

Sarry Ibrahim (32:38):

Yeah. Yeah.

Angela Colee (32:38):

Yeah. Especially the beginning, when we're learning the skills and we're raw and we're nervous, we feel like the spotlight is on us and everybody is watching. They're just waiting for you to mess up. And as soon as you go down in flames, they're just going to be there, pointing and laughing. Here's the good news. Nobody's paying attention.

Sarry Ibrahim (32:58):

Yeah. They're worried about their own lives.

Angela Colee (33:01):

Exactly. They're worried that you're paying attention to them and watching them flame out. God, I wish I had known that back in the day too. Just try early, try big. Go as big as humanly possible. You might surprise yourself. And then if you flame out, nobody's watching. You get to try again. It's great.

Sarry Ibrahim (33:21):

Just using the word want, more than the word need is completely different, 'cause I feel like people use the word need to justify our life. I need to make a hundred thousand dollars a year to pay the bills that I need to pay, to live in a house that I need, that fits it.

(33:38):

So, you're justifying it. When you're justifying it, you're decreasing certain things. So that way, you look more acceptable to other people. You sound more logical, more reasonable.

(33:47):

But if I came to you and said, "Hey Angie, I want to make 2.5 million this year, so that I could build a $2 million house," there's nothing wrong with that.

(33:56):

Some people might think that that sounds too presumptuous or it sounds too arrogant to think that way, but it shouldn't be.

Angela Colee (34:01):

It shouldn't.

Sarry Ibrahim (34:03):

Yeah.

Angela Colee (34:03):

It absolutely shouldn't. I literally know a man that runs a mastermind. When somebody questioned him once on why he started this mastermind, he said, "I needed a place to talk to people about why a $99,000 launch is a disappointment, the fact that we didn't hit a hundred. I needed a place to talk to people about how a $990,000 launch is a disappointment because we didn't hit that million."

(34:34):

That's a real and valid thing, but in certain circles, people are going to be like, "What the fuck is wrong with you? I would take $99,000 in a heartbeat."

(34:44):

When you elevate your circle and you talk to other people that get the things that you're striving for, they understand that pain of falling short by just 10 grand. Couldn't a couple more people have bought it? Oh, man. Then you get over it and you learn for next time and you move on.

(34:59):

There's something super important about finding your people, that are going to encourage you to aim big and share those frustrations with you when things get heavy and you're disappointed, and lift you up when you're winning. So great. So great.

(35:13):

Well, this has been a fantastic conversation. This is my last call of the day. And to end on such a high note with such great energy, I don't know about you, but this has been awesome.

(35:24):

Tell us a little bit more about your business, where we can find you on the internet.

Sarry Ibrahim (35:27):

Yeah. If you want a free consultation, you can go to FinAssetProtection.com. It's F-I-N AssetProtection.com. I wrote a ebook, a 30-page pdf. You can download it for free on ThinkingLikeaBank.com. That's also where the podcast is at.

(35:45):

They both connect together, both of those websites, thanks to digital marketing. If it's more resonating, go to ThinkingLikeaBank.com. I'd love to connect with you and learn more about your goals.

Angela Colee (35:56):

Excellent. Then for everybody listening, take it from somebody who thought she hated finance, it's much more interesting when it's your finances and you're actually making some decent money.

(36:05):

You can learn these skills. It's very much exciting when you're talking about, oh, where do I park this extra money? Ooh, how do I get interest on that money?

(36:14):

You can learn the skills and you can develop the excitement for it, even if you hate thinking about finances.

(36:21):

Working with someone that you like, like Sarry, could be a great first step down that path. Thank you so much for being on the show. Loved everything about this. We'll talk to you soon.

Sarry Ibrahim (36:30):

Thanks, Angie.

Angela Colee (36:35):

That is it. Another awesome episode of Permission to Kick Ass on the books. If you want to know more about the show or if you want to know more about me, Angie Colee and the mission I'm on, to help entrepreneurs punch fear in the face and do big, bold things, then head on over to PermissiontoKickAss.com. That is all one word together, PermissiontoKickAss.com.

(36:55):

Make sure to sign up for my email list, so that you know whenever there's a hot, fresh and ready podcast episode out for you.

(37:01):

Also on Mondays, I like to send out a little newsletter, called Kick Monday's Ass. I'm sure you're totally, totally surprised by that.

(37:08):

Thank you for being here with me today. I'm Angie Colee. Make sure that you share this with a friend that needs to hear this message today. Like it, share it, comment wherever you're listening to this today, and let's go kick some ass.